1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to woven fabrics and methods and apparatus for weaving the same, and more particularly to fabric formed by the low density cross weave of one or more fill members to hold a plurality of elongated warp members intact during the processing of the warp members.
2. History of the Prior Art
It is known in the art to provide a plurality of elongated warp members disposed in generally parallel, side-by-side relation with a low density cross weave in the form of one or more fill members to hold the warp members intact and thereby form a fabric to facilitate handling of the warp members during processing thereof. Examples of such fabrics and methods and apparatus for weaving the same are provided by U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,669,158, 3,955,256, 3,818,082, 3,925,587, 3,926,228, 3,673,035, 3,700,511, 3,726,751, 3,073,004, 3,779,789 and 3,859,158.
A low density cross weave is advantageous, for example, in the oxidation, carbonization and other processing of fibrous carbonaceous members, not only because of the difficulties imposed in handling the fibrous members as they are caused to undergo tortuous, complex paths but also because the fibrous members themselves tend to shrink and otherwise undergo distortion during the processing. The cross weave need not be of high density to satisfactorily hold together the warp members, and is preferably of relatively low density to facilitate the removal thereof when processing of the warp members has been completed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,925,587 noted above discloses 2-8 picks per inch of the fill members, U.S. Pat. No. 3,926,228 noted above discloses 0.1-8 picks per inch of the fill member and U.S. Pat. No. 3,073,004 noted above discloses 1-20 fill yarns per inch.
The fill yarns may be interwoven with each and every one of the warp members as described in most of the above-noted patents, or they may be floated over and under various pluralities of the fill members so as to be interwoven only with an occasional one of the fill members. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,818,082 noted above, the fill members are floated over 5 or 6 of the warp members at a time.
Regardless of whether the fill members are interwoven with each and every one of the warp members or only selected ones of the warp members, the fill members are typically difficult to remove from the warp members following processing of the warp members. Typically each fill member is interwoven with at least some of the warp members as it extends across the entire width of the array of warp members, whereupon the direction of separation of the warp members is reversed and the fill member thereby passes over and under the various warp members in opposite senses during the return of the fill member across the width of the array of warp members. Removal of the fill members usually requires that each fill member be cut at each edge of the fabric. The resulting severed lengths of fill members are then pulled out of the warp member with some difficulty. The procedure for removing the fill members is therefore a rather laborious one which is both time consuming and difficult and often results in waste of precious time such as where it is necessary to halt movement of the fabric for cutting and withdrawal of the fill members prior to movement of the fabric into further processing stages in a continuous process.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a fabric and methods and apparatus for weaving the same in which one or more fill members are easily interwoven with the warp members to form a low density cross weave which is easily removed from the warp members when desired and without the need to repetitively cut the full members.